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IEE faculty, staff, and projects in the news

Penn State Institute of Energy and the Environment: Growing Impact: PFAS and human health

Growing Impact: PFAS and human health

PFAS, synthetic chemicals found in countless everyday products, have made their way into humans and animals around the globe. Although their health effects remain unclear, their widespread presence raises important questions. Scientists are now investigating whether these chemicals might disrupt the human gut microbiome, potentially impacting our health in unexpected ways.

Guests

Seed Grant Projects

Red graphs and financial charts superimposed over a blue background with an electricity pole

How electricity markets shape grid reliability: Which model works best?

The 2021 Texas power crisis exposed critical weaknesses in electricity market structures, as millions faced outages due to extreme weather. Through laboratory experiments, researchers compare three market designs to determine which best incentivizes investment and ensures a reliable power supply in the face of growing climate challenges.

Authors

Student refines 100-year-old math problem, expanding wind energy possibilities | Penn State University

Student refines 100-year-old math problem, expanding wind energy possibilities

| psu.edu

A Penn State engineering student's work on a century-old math problem that expands research in aerodynamics, unlocking new possibilities in wind turbine design, was recently published in Wind Energy Science.

Mentions

Penn State Climate Consortium awards 5 workshops focused on climate solutions | Penn State University

Penn State Climate Consortium awards 5 workshops focused on climate solutions

| psu.edu

The Penn State Climate Consortium has awarded five workshops as a part of its Climate Solutions Accelerator Program to foster impactful research and bring effective climate solutions to communities in Pennsylvania and around the world.

Mentions

Professor’s documentary explores environmental effects on Inuit community | Penn State University

Professor’s documentary explores environmental effects on Inuit community

| psu.edu

Kirk French, assistant professor of anthropology and film production/media studies at Penn State, recently completed work on his new documentary, “A Century After Nanook.” On Saturday, March 1, State College’s State Theatre will host a public screening of the film at 6:30 p.m.

Mentions

Seed Grant Projects

Stuckeman School exhibition to showcase urban floodplain communities in Peru | Penn State University

Stuckeman School exhibition to showcase urban floodplain communities in Peru

| psu.edu

The Stuckeman School is hosting “Tres Comunidades, Un Rio: Life within Peru’s urban Amazonian floodplains," a traveling exhibition that demonstrates the unique challenges of three floodplain communities in Iquitos, Peru, that are under threat of forced relocation and cultural eradication while also celebrating their traditional ways of living connected to nature. The exhibition, which is free and open to the public, will run from Feb. 17 through March 4 in the Borland Project Space, 125 Borland Building at Penn State University Park.

Mentions

Seed Grant Projects

Sustainable Labs Program increases participant engagement, welcomes new labs | Penn State University

Sustainable Labs Program increases participant engagement, welcomes new labs

| psu.edu

Penn State’s Sustainable Labs Program will host two virtual information sessions on Feb. 18 and 21 to provide an overview of the initiative, answer questions and guide prospective participants through the application process.

Mentions

Episode 39: Barriers and opportunities for implementing prescribed fire: lessons from managers in the mid-Atlantic region, United States — Association for Fire Ecology

Fire Ecology Chats Podcast: Barriers and opportunities for implementing prescribed fire

| fireecology.org

Erica Smithwick, associate director of the Institute of Energy and the Environment, discusses how managers in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States can safely put prescribed fire back into the landscape to address local issues.

Mentions

CA Bill Would Make Oil and Gas Companies Liable for Natural Disasters | Independent Women's Forum

CA bill would make oil and gas companies liable for natural disasters

| iwf.org

California lawmakers want to hold oil and gas companies responsible for damages attributed to natural disasters, including high-intensity wildfires, under a new bill. This article cites a blog post by Hannah Wiseman, an IEE faculty member and professor of law at Penn State Law.

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Penn State Institute of Energy and the Environment, Growing Impact: PFAS and human health

Growing Impact: PFAS and human health (Preview)

| youtu.be

Full episode release date: March 1, 2025.PFAS, synthetic chemicals found in countless everyday products, have made their way into humans and animals around the globe. Although their health effects remain unclear, their widespread presence raises important questions. Scientists are now investigating whether these chemicals might disrupt the human gut microbiome, potentially impacting our health in unexpected ways.

Mentions

Seed Grant Projects

Inuit leaders to discuss climate-changed Arctic in panel, movie premiere | Penn State University

Inuit leaders to discuss climate-changed Arctic in panel, movie premiere

| psu.edu

The Penn State Climate Consortium’s February Climate Conversations Café will feature Inuit leaders who will discuss the challenges of a rapidly changing Arctic on Friday, Feb. 28, at Penn State University Park. The event is connected to the U.S. premiere of the film “A Century After Nanook,” which will take place on Saturday, March 1, at The State Theatre in State College.  

Mentions

Seed Grant Projects

Microplastics on a human hand and fingers

Microplastics: Sources, health risks, and how to protect yourself

Plastic is everywhere, and it is essential to modern life. Yet it comes with a hidden cost: microplastics, tiny pollutants that have become a growing concern for both the environment and human health.

Authors